A year later...

So, it has been like a year since I last posted on my blog. (I am exaggerating, like 6 months) I am not sure why I haven't kept it up. I did become pregnant a month and a half after my last post and that might have contributed to my lack of interest in blogging. This pregnancy has been even more fun than the first! I am so very grateful to have another blessing in my tummy...but being pregnant just doesn't agree with me. I am still throwing up every other day. I get migraines and headaches often as well. I am large and in charge. Much like last time, people ask me if I am pregnant with multiples or if I am due in a week. Nope folks! Just huge! So, I am very, very anxious to give birth this time. I want April to get here now!!

Gracelyn is very excited to become a big sister and talks about "her baby" or "her sister" often. Her favorite things in the world are her dolls and babies. So this is like a dream come true for her. I am so excited for her to have a sister. I love my own sister so much and I am glad my girls will always have each other! I know she is going to be a wonderful helper! She is already a pro at changing diapers. She has been using newborn diapers on her dolls for a year and has gotten really good at it! She helped me change my neice's diaper a couple of weeks ago...and really I just helped a little. I was shocked at how well my "little mommy" did.

Ben was understandably a little bummed to find out number 2 was another girl. But the thing is...he is soo good with Gracelyn. I think he is a really, really good "girl dad". If he does convince me to do this again...which is questionable at this point...maybe it will be a boy. But, if it isn't...I think I know why. Some men are just made to be fathers to little girls and I think I married one :-)

So, maybe I will continue to update this blog..after all I do enjoy reading everyone else's! I can't wait for Christmas! It is one hundred percent my favorite time of the year....and it also means that I am a little more than 3 months away from meeting my little girl! I cannot wait! I will leave you with a couple pics of my adorable oldest daughter..

Como Zoo - Summer 2012

First Dance Recital!

Trip to Door County for my Dad's 60th birthday!

Where has the time gone?

I cannot believe that I am a mother of a 3 year old little girl. Gracelyn has completely changed my life. I went from being Jenna Marie Boeckmann (Torud) to being Gracelyn Kate's mom. The most rewarding job and title I will ever have. She makes every day of my life better. She is the funniest person I know. The things that come out of her little mouth amaze me! This evening she cried herself to sleep because she wants to be a big "brother" so, so bad. Yeah, I did explain to her that she will never be a big brother because she happens to be a girl. But hopefully she will become a big sister within the next year (fingers crossed)!

At three Gracelyn:
Loves babies and pregnant women!
Loves Berenstain Bears!
Loves her mom...tells me all the time that she wants to "stay home with me"...and then I have to proceed to explain to her why I have to still go to work....super hard :-(
Loves her daddy! They love to play ball, horse around, and tease me!
Loves to watch home videos of herself as a baby!
Loves to sing and dance to music!
Her favorite thing to do is to play with her dolls!
Favorite thing to eat is probably meat - any kind! She eats the meat off her plate first!
Loves to look at pictures (mainly of babies)
Loves to read books (usually that have babies in them).

Are you sensing a theme? She only asks me if I am pregnant at least once a day!

She is the light of our life and I am soo lucky to be her mom!

Vegas and Easter

I am not very good at doing this more than every 2 months! February was kind of boring...not a whole lot to blog about. But now I can write all about our wonderful trip to Vegas and Easter! In March, my parents, Ben, Gracelyn, and I all went on a vacation to Vegas and the Grand Canyon. It was so fun to see everything through Gracelyn's eyes. She had an awesome time! She LOVED Circus Circus! She loved playing the games, going on rides, and her favorite thing was seeing a Dora 4D movie! She was amazed by how realistic it was!

Here are some pics of the Grand Canyon! Which was breathtaking!






Movie Star



Riding on the tram!!


Playing Games!


Riding a horse with daddy!


Dancing Downtown!


My nephew's 3rd birthday landed directly on Easter so we got to spend Easter in Madison with my family! We had an awesome weekend! The kids LOVED getting to spend time together!

Gracelyn found her Easter basket!


Here are some more pics from Easter!













Gracelyn and I sat down to dinner tonight (Ben was at work) and she proceeded to tell me this, "Mom, if I were you I would have a baby, actually if I were you I would have twins!" First of all...my 3 year old talks to me like she is 10. Second of all...she is obsessed with me having a baby! She is so funny! She makes me laugh every day! She also told her sitter today that I was pregnant with twins..

By the way, I am not pregnant...and definately not with twins!

Finally!

How long can I wait to put out a new post? Apparently a long time! I also left my camera at my brother's house for two weeks, so that didn't help the situation either. Anyway, the holidays are always crazy and this year was no different. I had the week between Christmas and New Year's off and it was wonderful! My mom and dad, Gracelyn, and I all traveled down to Madison for a couple days to watch my nephew and niece which was fun! Gracelyn loved every second!

Over the holidays we got to spend lots of time with friends and family and Gracelyn got way too many presents. I often wonder how all of her gifts will fit in our house, birthday after birthday, Christmas after Christmas...and I only have one! What do I do after I have 3 kids when they are all receiving presents? We will have to be good at donating toys as we are receiving new ones!

Gracelyn is our little ray of sunshine..she has a ton of attitude. Yelling out demands constantly. I am saying, "How do you ask me nicely?" about twenty times a day. She comes in our room in the morning and says, "It's good morning time" "Get up Momma". When we play house she says to me, "You are the Gracelyn and I am the Momma". She often tells me that things are "ridiculous" or "terrible"...Sometimes she says things and I think to myself, "Where did you learn these words?" And I have been known to get myself in trouble....One morning not long ago she woke up and said, "I feel like crap this morning!" Oh no! Where did she learn this new phrase? Then like a week later I find myself telling Ben, that I "felt like crap". So I officially need to start watching what I say in front of her. She is a 13 year old in a 2 year old body. She keeps us on our toes!

She loves gum (thanks grandma), playing babies, painting, watching "Good Luck Charlie", pickle chips, brushing other peoples hair, and dancing. She has made my dream of having a dancer come true. I taught her a whole routine the other night and we performed it for my family last weekend in the Dells. We went to the "Wilderness"...tons of fun was had by all! So she is my funny, dancing, smiley girl who sometimes "feels like crap"...

Perfect example of her attitude...

I step away for one moment during "paint" time and...

The "Torud" Cousins on Christmas Eve

The Fam...

Auntie Mandy!


The Fredrickson Kids! - Ben's Nieces and Nephew

Madison Children's Museum!

Getting ready for the pool!

Slide!

Our Gracelyn Girl


And I will leave you with one more cute story. Gracelyn loves to dance on her own, but, of course, occasionally enjoys having a partner. Recently, whenever she is dancing hand and hand with another person she will say, "we are married". The stuff two year olds come up with. The other night Gracelyn asked her daddy to dance with her and she told him that they were "married"...it is true that the first person that little girls imagine marrying is their dad. She is no exception. When asked who she wants to marry when she gets older, she always answers, "my daddy"..It will be a sad day for daddy when her answer eventually changes!